The largest hands-on school safety
exercise ever staged anywhere is taking place on May 2, 2012, in Pueblo County,
Colorado—and with a 3D twist.
This crisis exercise will simulate a
high-wind school building collapse resulting in a complex evacuation of 450
children, and the coordinated response efforts of 400 adults. If you’ve ever
visited Colorado, you know the meaning of high winds.
This large-scale activity is custom
tailored for major video production. The school district is providing three
primary shooting locations, the school buses (for the evacuation), the school
and district staff as actors, the children (with parental releases), and a new
mobile communications unit designed by SchoolSAFE Communications. The county is
providing first responders as actors from fire, law enforcement, and emergency
management, as well as 5 ambulances, a rescue helicopter, fire equipment, and
other public safety vehicles. All local media organizations will also
participate, many providing reporters and news crews as actors in the
simulation. VIP observers from across the state, coordinated by State Senator
Steven King’s office, will observe the exercise and draft a final report. Funding
for this activity was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
the U.S. Department of the Army. For
further information, you can feel free to contact: johnsimmons@schoolsafetypartners.org
Now comes the 3D part. School Safety
Partners and Panasonic will capture the entire event in stereo 3D, with the
intent of producing classroom-based simulations and training segments for the
school safety market. There remains a strong and burgeoning role for stereo 3D
in school safety and emergency preparedness training.